The Dream House
by In2lalaland
Summary: Duo and Wufei moves into their dream house. It's a dream that soon turns into a nightmare. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

I'm a big fan of horror stories (horror movies on the other hand scares the crap out of me and I can' sleep properly for days) and I was thrilled when the opportunity to write on came along.

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Prologue

It all began with two men. One who through years of hard work had showed himself competent and responsible enough to move all the way up to the main office of the company he had always dreamt of working for. The move up affected not only him, but the second man as well. He, even though was not happy to leave his friends and family behind, still followed his husband when the promotion demanded relocation across the country, to a place unknown to the both of them.

But moving to a new city required a new home and the two men went searching. Their effort remained fruitless until they found what they both instantly proclaimed to be the perfect house.

Following Cherry Street down to the very end, you would soon find the house of their dreams. It was a reasonably large house, framed by carefully cut bushes and with a perfectly paved driveway. It had several flowerbeds and a large apple tree standing in the middle of the backyard.

The pale yellow house was not only perfect for them; it was perfect for the family they had wanted to create for so long. There were several bedrooms, the yard was large and the neighborhood was child friendly. It was perfect.

They found themselves acting like the newlyweds they hadn't been in years, stealing kisses as they carried the boxes, hidden caresses while they greeted the neighbors and gently making love on the living room floor.

It was all so perfect. They were home.

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Chapter 1

It was Friday, early in the afternoon when our story really began. Duo had just gotten back from his shopping trip. He stumbled into the house with his heavy bags, whistling happily he lifted them up on the table and trew his keys on the counter before he started emptying the bags. He began with all the frozen food, putting them all away before he started with the refrigerator, leaving the things he would be using for dinner on the table. He had planned to have a nice meal done when Wufei got back from his first completed week of work. He might as well embrace the role as a house wife for now. There seemed to be a total lack of need for welders at the moment and he was most likely going to be unemployed for a while. So far he had unpacked all their boxes, cleaned the house, ironed all the clothes, done the dishes after every meal and made sure that there was food on its way when Wufei got home. Duo didn't really mind, it was kind of nice to have the whole day to himself.

A cheerful melody started playing softly, telling Duo not only that his cell phone was ringing but also that it was his husband. Duo grinned as he answered, balancing a bag of fruit and a package of margarine on his other arm. "Miss me already do you babe?." For a second there was no answer.

"_Duo_." The voice that answered sounded ragged, broken beyond belief by grief. It took him a second to even recognized it. "Wufei? What's wrong?" He dropped everything in his hands, oranges rolling across his newly swabbed floor. The sound that followed made Duo's soul run cold. Wufei was crying, big hulking sobs that seemed to hurt his throat. Duo had never been so scared in his life. "Baby." Duo took a shaky breath as he listened with growing horror to Wufei's sorrow. "Baby please answer me, what's wrong?"

"You're alive." Wufei cried out thickly.

"Of course I'm alive! What's going on?" He asked quickly, knees growingweek from shock.

"_Get out Duo!_ Get out of the house!" Wufei rasped between his wet pants. "Don't let it get you, please don't let it. Don't die!"

Duo's heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest as he griped the kitchen table in support. "I won't, just tell me where you are and I'll come get you."

Please dear god let him be okay.

There was no responds. "Wufei?" Silence. Then the call was cut.

In rising panic, Duo fumbled with his phone to call him back.

The signal went out, over and over again, only to get cut once again.

He tried again. The taunting signal went on. No answer.

He had to go, he had to find him. Duo had never heard Wufei sound so scared and if his husband wanted him out of the house he sure as hell was going to listen.

He knew where Wufei's office building was, he was just going to have to start searching for him there. With fear growing in his chest and his phone practically glued to his ear, Duo turned towards the counter where he had left his car keys. They were not there. No pink panther key chain, no car keys. Duo cursed with a desperate cry. He turned in a circle. Where were his keys? He knew he had left them on the counter but now they were gone. Where the fuck had he put them? He tried to think logical but fear and panic blocked his thoughts to the sound of that haunting signal in his ear.

"Jesus, _what_? I'm in a meeting." Wufei's annoyed voice answered abruptly.

"Are you alright? What's going on?" Duo asked desperately, his fingers suddenly finding his keys. They had been on the counter all along, hidden behind the tea pot. In his panic he must have missed them. Somehow.

"What do you mean what's going on? You called me."

With the keys safe in hand Duo hurried towards the car. "No you called me, all freaked out crying and screaming at me to get out of the house! What am I supposed to think?"

"... What?"

"Yeah you... " Duo faltered as he reached the lawn, the sun shining down on him as he came to a stop. "You didn't?"

"No, I've been in a meeting all day." Wufei said calmly. In the background, Duo could hear phones ringing and people talking rapidly.

"But..." He glanced back at the house. There was nothing there to give him any answers.

Wufei shifted the phone against his ear with a sigh. "Probably a prank caller, someone from the neighborhood who doesn't want two faggots moving in on their perfect little block."

Duo looked up and down the street, feeling lost. The adrenalin was wearing off, leaving him shivering and his knees were weak. He took a deep breath, trying to get the sound of Wufei's desperate begging out of his head. "Yeah... a prank."

"I'll be home in about two hours, will you be alright until then?"

Duo wanted to say no and beg Wufei to come home to him, but Wufei sounded distracted and in the distance he could hear someone calling out for Mr. Chang. "I'm fine, sorry for..." He trailed off, unable to find words for what had just happened.

"Understandable, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, later." Duo hung up.

He glanced over at the still open front door. The empty hallway on the other side seemed bare and uninviting. He still had food to unpack and dinner to prepare. He shivered despite the sunshine, and decided to do some work outside. He got the rake out from the garage, using it to get all the leaves away from under the bushes. Then he took a trip with the lawnmower even if it wasn't really necessary. The flowerbeds were looking a bit rough so he spent some time working on them.

He didn't stop until he heard the sound of a car pulling up on the driveway. He got up and brushed off his knees as Wufei got out of the car. His husband was grinning as he walked over to him, suit jacket open and his tie stuffed down into his pocket. "Hey, Looks nice." He said as he took a look around the front yard. "Did you have time to prepare any dinner?"

Duo shifted his feet, unable to explain why he hadn't even been able to put a foot into the house.

Wufei walked past him up on the porch and nudged the door open as he walked in. "How about some chicken. We have chicken, right?" Wufei called out from inside.

Duo slowly walked over to the porch. His time in the garden had washed away most of his terror. He felt kind of foolish now. He couldn't believe that he had let himself be tricked by some unknown fraud.

"Duo! Have you seen the garlic salt?"

"Yeah." Duo called back, walking up the step to enter the house. "I bought a new jar today, it's on the table." Without further thought he went to join his husband, closing the door behind him.

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A/N

Next part will be posted tomorrow. Happy Halloween everyone :D


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

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Soft kisses down his back woke him up from his peaceful slumber. "God morning." Duo mumbled happily into his pillow.

Wufei hmm'd softly against the back of his neck.

Duo closed his eyes with a smile as he felt a naked erection settle in between his cheeks. "A very good morning it seems."

"Mmm, it does seem like it." Wufei rumbled hotly against his ear.

The snap of a bottle was heard, and then a slippery finger rubbed against him. "I'm going to fuck you all day."

Duo gasped as it sank into him. "Promise?"

"Oh, I do."

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"Let's order something." Wufei declared lazily from where he was sprawled on his back.

"Mmm, perfect. Don't want to move." Duo mumbled from his spot next to him. He ached pleasantly all over and he really didn't want to get up and try to find something to cook.

"Italian?"

Duo wiped something sticky off his fingers. "Nhaaaw."

"Chinese?"

"Had that already." They both snickered at the bad joke that had a habit of sneaking up on them every now and then.

"Pizza?"

Duo thought for a second before nodding. "Yeah. Perfect." He listened absently as Wufei managed to first found a number to call, then made the order.

"They'll be here in half an hour, let's clean up." Wufei slipped out of bed, making the duvet slide with him.

Duo moaned in protest but slowly throw his legs over the edge, sitting up. Absently he dragged a hand through the hair on the back of his head, fingers instantly getting stuck in the mess there. If he wasn't mistaken he could even feel some lube back there, or at least he hoped it was lube. A shower sounded like a great idea. With a yawn he got to his feet and dragged his feet across the floor, kicking a pair of discarded socks out off the way. He could hear the shower come on and he steered his steps towards the bathroom across the corridor. Then something made him pause, just as he was about to step in onto the tiled floor. He couldn't explain why, it was just this feeling of unease.

He took a look down the corridor, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. His eyes landed on the door in end of it. Wufei's office. For a second it felt like the wooden door stared back.

"Are you coming?" Wufei's warm seductive voice asked him from behind the shower curtain. " I brought the lube."

Duo glanced towards the closed door again before stepping into the bathroom and kicking the door closed behind him.

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They barely made it out of the shower in time to greet the delivery boy.

The still naked Wufei hid behind the door while the barely dressed Duo managed to hold back his laughter long enough to pay and accept the warm pizza boxes.

They were almost giggling as they got dressed, stealing kisses and feeling like silly teenagers.

Duo who was the first to be done went to carry the pizza into the living room since Wufei refused to sit on something as uncomfortable as a wooden chair. Duo snickered, teasing his big baby of a husband as he first carried the plates and glasses there, then took a second trip to get the pizza. It smelled divine and he could hardly wait to sink his teeth into that lovely mess.

He arranged everything on the living room table before turning towards the other man who was sprawling across the sofa, face relaxed in a peaceful rest. Putting a hand up against the backrest he leaned over him, stroking his fingers across his stubble covered cheeks. "Time to eat Sleeping Beauty"

"Mmm, don't wanna sit up." Wufei mumbled with his eyes still closed.

Duo poked him on the nose. "Hey, who of us went more rounds on the bottom?"

"Your cock is bigger." Wufei shot back with a sleepy smile.

"Oh flattery will get you everywhere, now come on, let's eat." He bent down to give the other man a slow kiss before walking back to the kitchen to find something to drink. When he got back with two bottles of beer, Wufei was not only sitting up but had started on the food as well.

"I hope you didn't tip the delivery guy very well." Wufei said with a disgusted grimace.

"Huh? Why?" He asked, putting the bottles down and moving his plate closer to the paper box.

"Because the pizza in stone cold."

"What? No it's n-" Duo cut himself off as he picked up a slice. The pizza was dry and cold like it had been standing in the refrigerator overnight. Duo frowned. He had felt the heat through the box, he knew he had.

"Let's order somewhere else next time." Wufei suggested, putting the slice back down. "I'll go heat this up."

"Yeah." Duo said slowly, eyes resting on the slice in his hand.

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When Monday came around again and Wufei went back to work, Duo found himself bored.

The first week that they had lived there he had had plenty to do. Boxes that needed to be unpacked, things to organize and looked over, but now when everything was done, Duo found himself restless and without anything to do.

It was strange how now when he didn't have to go to work, there was nothing to do around the house. In their old place there had always been something to do. Something that needed to be fixed or cleaned but here there were nothing.

Duo felt strangely useless. What was he supposed to do now? Sit around all day waiting for his husband to come home? Cook him dinner and fetch his slippers when he got home?

Duo got to his feet from the kitchen chair where he had been sitting since Wufei had left that morning. _Two hours ago_. He deliberately left his empty coffee mug on the table as he made his decision. He might as well enjoy the lack of things to do, not to mention his solitude.

The first thing he did was to walk over to his neglected stereo. The shelves next to it were filled with CDs in different colors, but when you pushed them aside you would find case after case of cassette tapes. His guilty pleasure. A CD just couldn't get close to the magic that was a plastic cassette tape. With a CD you could so easily skip the songs you didn't like or push repeat to hear your favorite song again. Cassettes had a life of its own, it made you listen to everything, made you wait for the parts you wanted, made you appreciate everything about the music in a totally different way. CDs couldn't compare.

He ran a loving finger over the plastic cases until he found the one he was looking for. Smiling he picked it up from its spot, taking a second to turn it over to admire the big haired rocker on the cover. It felt like yesterday when that picture could send his heart racing. It had been a time of endless summers, pointless crushes, band dreams in basements and a future that had everything to offer.

With a click the hatch opened under his hands and the cassette slid into place. A whining noise, then the first guitar notes played out, making a wave of memories appear. He turned to music up loud, striking a pose in time for the first words to be sung. By the time of the refrain, he was singing on top of his lungs, shaking his head with hair that was far too long for head banging.

To the sound of that loud rock, Duo got his game console started and sat down in front of the TV. Car racing games wasn't as fun when you played them together with someone, but Wufei so rarely had time to play now days so this was just going to have to do.

Racing cars along mountain roads in high speed to the sound of the best songs in the history of rock. This was the life. He played until the music stopped and the player whined as it changed side. Taking it as a sign to get something to eat, Duo paused the game and went to find some snacks, singing along to the songs that hadn't been modern since he was in his teens.

He searched through the kitchen, collecting this and that and in the back of the pantry he even found a bag of chips, something he had totally forgotten that he had bought. Singing along to the high pitched parts, totally failing to get the right notes, not that it mattered as he nodded his head in time to the beat. Duo got a glass out and put it down next to the small pile of snacks he had managed to find. With his best clam rock wail, Duo carelessly poured it full of orange juice, creating a yellow ring on the counter.

Duo licked his fingers clean. '_This is the life'_ he thought happily as he brought his snack with him to the living room.

With snacks all around him on the floor, Duo went back to his game. It was hours later when his car went over the edge of a cliff, making him groan at the rocky mistake. He decided to take a break and he might as well do the dishes at the same time. He picked up the sticky juice glass and a couple of plates before carrying them into the kitchen. On the way there he found a coffee mug on the table next to the door. With a fond smile he picked it up. Wufei was always leaving his coffee mugs all over the place. There were probably several of them lined up next to his computer.

Decided that he might as well collected everything at once, Duo took two stair steps in each leap, reaching the second floor on record time. He could barely hear the music from up there but Duo knew the songs well enough to know exactly what was playing. Singing softly to himself he first collected Wufei's water glass from the nightstand. Doing a quick air guitar solo, he then stepped out into the corridor again. He took several steps in time to the distant music before faltering just outside the office door. He hesitated. Ever since they had first move in, Duo had been a bit uncomfortable around the small room at the end of the corridor. He couldn't explain why.

It was as if something was telling him he wasn't welcome there. He felt stupid for even thinking it. It probably had something to do with feeling inferior to Wufei. His husband made more money in a day then Duo used to make in a week, hell almost in a month. Wufei paid all the bills, he had bought the house, he had bought the cars, he paid for everything around the house, including everything Duo needed.

It had been a hard thing to get used to but he had accepted that things were just easier that way. But it was with a feeling of being an intruder that he now opened the door and stepped into the spotless office. Nothing was out of place there. Papers perfectly organized, files standing in rows on the shelves.

The sun was coming in through the window, shining down over Wufei's well cared for bonsai trees and the soft rug on the floor. The room should have felt warm and cozy, but it didn't. It felt chilly and uninviting. Duo shifted his feet in unease, his good mood suddenly gone. He couldn't hear the music at all from in there and he couldn't remember what song he had been singing on just moments ago. He looked over at the desk. As predicted, there were two coffee mugs there. He meant to take a step further into the room, but for some reason he couldn't make himself do it. Instead he stood there, hovering in the doorway.

A sharp creaking from the wooded house made him jump. His heart raced as he tried to calm down. The sound was nothing unusual. It was a old house and it made noises, simple.

But the uneasy feeling grew and Duo quickly darted forward, collecting the mugs and hurried out. The door almost seemed to close on its own behind him as he escaped. The unpleasant feeling didn't stop until he reached the kitchen.

"God, I'm being an idiot." Duo muttered to himself as he started to fill the sink with steaming water.

Slowly the tension started to drop away from his shoulders and he soon found himself whistling along to the upbeat song coming from the stereo. Then he frowned, looking over at the living room. It didn't make sense, but the tape had turned again while he had been upstairs. This song was on the other side of the tape, he was sure of it. He hadn't been gone for that long, had he?

With a shrug he started washing the things left for breakfast, Wufei's mugs and the things he had used for his snacks. It didn't take long before everything stood dripping in the plate rack. Still whistling, he started wiping the counters, taking care to get even the smallest crumb away before turning to the table. Only to stop and frown once again.

Hadn't he spilled juice there? He couldn't remember cleaning it up, but he must have. The table was clean now.

"I'm really turning into a housewife if I can't even remember cleaning up after myself." He grinned, throwing the rag on top of the tap. That was enough, it was time to go back to slacking.

He strolled back into the living room. Another tape was chosen. It was one of his favorites, given to him by his boyfriend of the time when he was sixteen. A heart breaking rock ballad came on, making him grin and sing along. Feeling nostalgic he started up one of the older games on another console. It really had been forever since he had indulged himself like this and he was enjoying it to the fullest.

He had barely started the first level when he paused the game, suddenly feeling something behind him. A presence of someone. He turned around quickly, expecting to see someone standing in the doorway, staring at him. There was no one there.

"Damn, I'm really loosing it now." He snickered humorlessly. It was unbelievable what one prank caller could do to you. One call and it felt like the whole world was out to get you.

He tried to go back to his game but couldn't concentrate. The feeling of being watched still lingered.

He got up, feeling ridiculous as he searched through the house. But who knew, maybe the prank caller wouldn't stop at just a disturbing call, maybe he was trying to scare him by walking into the house too?

His search was fruitless. He stood tensely in the middle of the hallway, looking from the staircase in front of him, over to the kitchen to his left then to the living room to the right. Everything was quiet. He was all alone.

He should just shrug and go back to what he was doing.

Instead he went outside. The bushes needed to be trimmed. Hopefully it would take a while.

He worked relentlessly, keeping an eye on the front door in case someone did come out. Nothing happened, he hadn't really expected it to. Lowering the hedge shredder Duo stopped for a moment to wave friendlily to a passing neighbor, making sure to smile and look like a nice guy.

Being gay meant that they had to try even harder to keep up appearances. 'We are a happily normal couple. We just happen to be two men'. Being scared of going into his own house was not considered to be normal.

The smile dropped as soon as the neighbor had disappeared. Duo really hoped Wufei wouldn't have to stay behind at the office today. He didn't want to go back inside alone.

He knew he was being unreasonable and that there was nothing to fear, but it didn't stop him from cutting the crass around the flower beds with a small scissor, rearranging the rocks around the apple tree until they were sorted by shade and scratching away the thin layer of moss on the bench he had once welded for Wufei's birthday.

It was there Wufei found him hours later, sitting on the bench with his eyes locked on house. He could not explain why.

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Duo woke up in the middle of the night. Something was lying on his arm and he grumpily opened his eyes to shove Wufei away. Only that Wufei was sleeping with his back towards him on the other side of the bed. He looked down on his stretched out arm. There was nothing lying on it, but still the heavy feeling was there. He tried to lift it but wasn't able to make it budge. It felt as if someone was holding it down, trying to trap him. He pulled again, his shoulders staining against the resistance, but without result. The arm was getting cold, starting on the tips of his fingers, slowly working its way upwards. He tried to rub it away with his other hand, tried to pull it in under his body to he could warm it up. Nothing worked. His fingertips were going numb from the cold. His nails looked almost black in the dark, his skin too pale. Like he was dead.

In something close to panic he quickly looked over at the calmly sleeping Wufei. He tried to call out to him but his throat wouldn't work. It felt tight and dry, like he hadn't used it in years. In a desperate attempt, Duo kicked out with his foot, connecting with Wufei's thigh.

"Wh-" Wufei slurred, turning sluggishly towards him.

"I- I can't move my arm." Duo whispered urgently.

A hand worked its way clumsily out from under the duvet and landed on his arm. The heat exploded across his skin, feeling like it was about to set it on fire. Duo bit back a pained cry as the pain rocked through him.

Wufei was gently rubbing his arm as if to get the blood flow back. "Did you sleep on it?" He mumbled tiredly.

Duo sucked in a breath as he managed to bend his still freezing fingers. "Must have."

Slowly the heat returned in his arm and he could lift it up until it was resting awkwardly across his chest.

"Better?" Wufei asked, his eyes falling close.

"Yeah." He whispered, slowly rubbing his arm.

Seconds later he could hear Wufei's breaths slow down in sleep.

Duo lay awake, staring up at the dark ceiling with a limp arm on his chest that didn't feel like his own.

What the hell was going on?

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Sorry for not posting when I said I would, RL and all that :P


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Duo walked aimlessly through the house, straightening figurines, re-organizing books and searching for dust without result. The house was clean, it was organized and there was nothing that needed to be done.

He was so bored.

Nothing held his interest. He had heard all the music before, all the games seemed too easy, movies were predictable and there was nothing on TV.

There was nothing to do. Restless and bored he drifted from room to room, feeling trapped.

Not to mention that he was very lonely.

Wufei left every morning at seven and didn't return until five or six in the evening. Sometimes he even stayed behind longer, long enough that Duo had even gone to bed before he hears the car pull up on the drive way.

Duo had nothing to do, nowhere to be and no one to see.

He sighed and dragged a finger along the long shelf on the living room wall. His eyes took in the long row of photo frames standing on it. Friends and family smiled back at him, reminding him of good times and welcoming arms. They did nothing to lift his mood. As his finger came to the end he lifted it, taking a close look at it. There wasn't even a hint of dust on it.

With a sigh he dragged his feet over to the couch and sank down, feet planted on the floor, head resting on the top backrest. His started blindly up at the ceiling as the seconds ticked by.

The house was painfully quiet.

Maybe he should get a pet for company.

He first thought was of dogs since it gave him an excuse to leave the house but Wufei wasn't very fond of them… but he did like cats.

Duo sighed and turned his head to the side. He blindly looked at the shelf filled with Wufei's boring books.

A cat might be a good idea. Plus, cats shredded hair and threw up hair balls. It would give him something to do and might even make this place feel more like a home and less like a spotless prison.

Slowly he rolled to his feet and made his way into the kitchen where the morning newspaper was still lying folded where Wufei had placed it when he left that morning.

The pages rustled loudly, breaking the silence as he flipped them. There were a couple of ads for cats and without any real enthusiasm he circled a couple that seemed fitting.

The time passed by .

The pen fell from numb fingers. A sigh then his forehead was resting against the paper. He was so tired. He felt old.

The smell off ink was almost overwhelming but Duo didn't move. He had no reason to.

Then a familiar tune called out.

Like a well trained dog hearing the sound of his master's voice, Duo launched himself from the chair and dived towards his phone on the kitchen counter.

"Hi babe." He breathed happily.

"Hey." Wufei replied absently, the sound of shifting papers loud in the background. "I have to go away over the weekend."

Duo's happiness popped like a balloon as he slowly sank down on the floor, resting sideways against the kitchen counter with his shoulders slumping. "Oh."

"Yeah, some older costumer refused to do a web conference and we have to go over there." Wufei didn't sound happy about it but it was far from as displeased as Duo was. "Could you do me a favor and pack my bag for me and come here with it at four? We have to take the train at five." Wufei asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?" Duo responded, reaching up to get a hold of the shopping pad and the pen next to it.

"The dark gray suit, not the one with the silver buttons, the other one. The black Prada suit. Shirts, white, light blue, red- the one with the normal collar, not the high one. Ties, dark blue, black with white strips, black with red spots."

Duo hurried to make note of everything, pad resting awkwardly on his raised knee with the receiver trapped between his head and his shoulder.

"The black leather dress shoes"

"The comfortable ones or the sexy ones?" He asked, pen hovering over the paper.

"The sexy ones."

"Oooh, gonna get them good are you babe?" Duo teased with a grin.

Wufei chuckled. "Always. Then I need three pair of socks, black. Toothbrush, hair products, razors and shaving cream and some hair bands. Oh, and some shampoo, I hate hotel shampoo." Wufei made a long thoughtful sound and Duo wished that his husband was there so he could put his head down on his chest and feel it vibrating through his body.

"It think that's it, did you get everything?"

"Got it." Duo announced, looking down at his messy handwriting.

"Think you can get it here by four?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"See you soon, bye babe."

Wufei just made a pleased noise before hanging up, one that warmed Duo from the inside.

With a grin he jumped to his feet and with the pad in hand and hurried through the house. He was finally going to do something useful.

It was easy to find all the clothes Wufei had requested in the neat wardrobe and he carefully put everything down on the bed.

Wufei's suitcase was in the basement and with a bounce in his steps he made his way down to the first floor and over to the door under the stairs.

That was open.

Duo gave the door a confused look. Why was it open? As far as he knew, no one had been down there for days. Walking over to it he felt a cold breeze drifting by his feet. He shivered, suddenly feeling uneasy. The door creaked as he pushed it open all the way.

Duo stared down into the dark.

Silently he cursed the idiot who had placed the light switch at the bottom of the stairs instead of the top.

He hesitated on top of the steep stairs, looking down into the dark. The naked unpainted concrete walls seemed to create a feeling of walking down into a sewer or maybe even a grave.

"Just go down there you pussy." He whispered, gripping the stair rail with his eyes stuck on what he could see of the long and narrow stairwell. The darkness was like a sea of oil down there, thick and consuming. It almost seemed to creep up from the deep. Like it was just waiting for some fool to enter. Reluctantly Duo put a foot down on the first step. It creaked in protest, sounding like it was going to crack from side to side.

Duo found himself holding his breath. The stair rail was slippery from the sweat of his hand. The dark seemed to be on edge, watching him like a predator. Duo had never been scared of the dark but he now found himself wondering if he had just never been forced to confront darkness such as this.

He took another step, leaving the first floor. The creaking wasn't as loud this time but it did nothing for his growing unease. He focused his eyes on the silhouette of the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs, trying to ignore everything else. Slowly he went down the steps, one step at the time with his heart racing without any logical reason. The sound of his feet seemed to echo endlessly against the bare walls. He felt the prickling of standing hairs all over his body. His chest tightened, making it hard to breathe as he could almost feel the darkness sliding up his body. He could barely see where he put his feet and he desperately tried to remember if any of the steps were broken in any way.

A soft drawn out whining made him look up. The door was slowly sliding close, the light growing thinner and thinner as the dark closed in. Cold fear rushed through him and he hurried down the last couple of steps, diving towards the small plastic switch he knew were there somewhere. The door closed with a click, leaving him in total darkness. He fumbled forward, the sudden darkness disorientating him. He felt along the cold wall in mind numbing panic.

It felt like something was closing in on him in the dark.

A sudden coldness.

Like something was sneaking up on him.

It was closing in.

Looming over him.

Raising its arms to wrap itself around him.

Trapping him in the dark.

Duo shivered, quickly stumbling down the last couple of steps until he reached the bottom. And for a second before he reached the switch, Duo swore he heard someone take a quick breath next to his ear.

The light went on. There was nothing around. Duo spun in a circle, taking in the dim basement. Boxes stood lining the walls together with furniture they had chosen not to use and other random things that had been banished down there. The only sound was his own rapid breathing and the buzzing from the naked light bulb. Quickly grabbing the bag he turned on his heel and ran back up the stairs. He held his breath until the door slammed close behind him. The light bulb could glow until it went out for all he cared, he was not spending another second down there in the dark.

Still feeling cold and uneasy, Duo hurriedly went back to packing. He put all his focus on his task, trying to forget the unpleasant experience. He was not a child and he shouldn't be scared of the dark.

Folding everything neatly. He paused with the black leather shoes in his hand. Wufei only wore them when he was trying to impress someone, females more often than not.

Duo loved those shoes and he had even convinced Wufei to wear them, and only them, during sex once. To have those sleek shiny shoes over his shoulders as he fucked the hell out of his husband had been memorable.

He ran a finger over the tight laces and the silver buckle in the back with the designer's flashy name on it.

He wondered who Wufei was trying to impress.

He wondered if they were good looking.

He wondered if they were staying at the same hotel as Wufei.

He wondered if…

Duo shook himself. He was being ridiculous. Wufei loved him, he knew he did and he wasn't the type of person who cheated. In fact, Wufei was the type who considered cheating to be one step below cold blooded murder. Feeling stupid for even thinking it, Duo shook his head and packed the shoes before closing the suitcase. It was almost half past three and it would take another fifteen minutes to get to Wufei's office building.

Picking up the bag, he hurried down stairs and into the hallway. He absently hoped that he hadn't forgotten anything as he pushed his feet into his shoes and walked with rapid steps toward the front door. Then in the corner of his eye he saw something that made him pause. He stopped, confused over what he had just thought he had seen. He backtracked to the large mirror he had passed, thinking that something had gotten stuck in his hair. He looked just the same as he always did. He was wearing dark clothes and his hair was in its usual braid. There was nothing that could be confused with the long blond hair he had thought he had seen.

"Odd." He mumbled, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling.

The trip to the basement had clearly freaked him out more than he had first thought and he was now starting to imagine all kinds of things.

Duo tightened his grip on the suitcase. He did not look forward to being alone in the house for two days.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Duo stood on the porch with his keys in his hand. Absently he rubbed the head of his pink panther keychain as he shifted his feet.

Intelligently he knew that he was being ridiculous and that there was nothing to feel uneasy about but still he hesitated. He had dropped the bag off and spent a couple of minutes molesting his husband despite Wufei's weak protests that his suit was getting wrinkled and that his lips were going to be bruised enough for everyone to know what he had been doing. Duo was in fact very pleased with the result and the memory of the look in Wufei's eyes when he pulled back, removed his hand from his husbands cock and wished him a nice trip was enough to have Duo grinning all the way back.

But as soon as he saw the house at the end of the street his good mood had suddenly been sucked right out of him. For a second he had wanted to keep driving, make a u-turn and go anywhere but into that house. Drive and not look back. But instead he had turned onto the driveway and stopped the car. Waving to their next door neighbor with a painfully fake smile he got out of the car and walked over to the porch. And that's where he found himself stuck. He couldn't leave and he couldn't bring himself to go inside.

It felt like something bad was going to happen if he did.

But he couldn't keep standing there. It would make the neighbors wonder.

Making a decision he glanced down at his keys and chose another one. With determined steps he walked over to the garage and got a shovel.

With it in hand he marched around the house and started digging. He spent the rest of the day digging and going off to buy garden rocks that he carefully placed in neat patterns in front of the bench.

It had been more work than he had first thought since it turned out that the ground was mostly made of thick mud and he had to get a lot of sand in the bottom to make sure that everything was going to stay in its place.

Hours later, when the sun had gone down and he was finally done, Duo sat down on the bench. Brushing his hands off, he enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment. The stone floor he had made was flawless and it fitted the iron bench perfectly. He had done a good job.

Duo looked over at the dark shape of the house. There were no lights on, making it look abandoned.

He knew he should go inside but he couldn't make himself get up.

Maybe he could put the tent up in the backyard?

Duo snorted. Yeah, because that wouldn't make the neighbors think he was insane.

Calling himself every degrading name he could think of, Duo got to his feet and walked over to the front door, unlocking it with a slight hesitation.

The door swung open quietly as he pushed it with his fingertips. The hallway was dark and uninviting. He quickly reached out to switch on the light. With a sharp crack, the ceiling light flashed and died. It suddenly seemed even darker. The open doorways on each side of the hallway seemed to gaped emptily at him. In front of him were the steep stairway leading up to the second floor… and the basement door.

Duo shivered and hurried into the living room. Dim light were coming in from the window, casting a ghostlike shine over the shapeless furniture.

He reached out for the switch. The light came on with a shocking clarity. Duo tried to calm down, tried to get his rapid breathing to slow. He hurried over to the television, the sudden sound of human voices feeling like a slap in the face as a teenage soap suddenly came on.

Feeling his pulse beating strongly in his chest, Duo looked around the bright room. Everything looked as it should but his unease lingered. His eyes found the doorway, looking at the dark shadows in the hallway. Duo felt a chill prickle its way up his back

He turned his back on it, curling up on the couch to focus on the bad actors playing out an even worse plot.

Hours later he woke up. The television was as dark as the rest of the room. But it wasn't the dark that made him uneasy, it was the feeling of being watched.

Sitting up straight he looked around the room, searching for whatever it was,

There was nothing there. Only shadows and silence.

But still it was watching.

"Just go away." Duo begged quietly, feeling ridiculous and scared both at once.

He prayed for Wufei to get back as soon as possible.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4

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It was a relief when Wufei came back on Saturday evening.

The meeting had gone a lot faster than planned and Duo was grateful, even if he felt ridiculous for not wanting to be by himself. There was nothing wrong with the house and it was only when he was alone and the dark was too close that he started thinking about it -That there might be something not quite right with their new home. But Duo didn't want to be one of those crazy people who saw aliens and ghosts. Just because he felt like there was someone watching him every now and then, there was no reason to believe that anyone actually was.

He planned on making the most of his time with Wufei, to really enjoy his company while he could. But suddenly he had a ton of things to do, never mind that the rest of the week had been uneventful and slow. The washing machine stopped working and he spent the first half of his day hunched behind the machine with a wrench, taking it apart piece by piece.

Then he got a phone call from a guy who wanted to sell him a heating radiator. Duo had placed an ad in the newspaper when they had first moved in and realized that the radiator in the bedroom wasn't working. The whole thing had been put on a back burner when there had been no response and then Duo just plain forgot about it.

Now he just had to install the new double-pipe radiator in the bedroom. It was heavy and he couldn't get it up in the right angle to attach it to the pipe. In the corner of his eye he saw a shape calmly walk past outside towards the office, uncaring of his struggle. "Give me a hand here would you Wufei?"

There was no response.

"Wu!" He called out in annoyance as the radiator started slipping.

"What?" He heard him call out. From the opposite direction.

Duo went stiff, not wanting to even think about what it implied. Slowly he leaned the radiator against the wall before getting up to walk over to the doorway and looking to the right. There was no one there, just the empty corridor and the closed door to Wufei's office.

"Did you want something?" Wufei asked as he stuck his head out from the bathroom, his face covered in shaving cream.

"I swear I just saw someone walk by the doorway." He said faintly, pointing towards the door in the end of the hall.

Wufei shrugged, pulling back into the bathroom. "Wasn't me." He said in an unconcerned voice.

Duo stared at the closed office door. The dark wood of the door stood out against the light wallpaper like a sore thumb. It almost seemed to suck the light out of the surrounding hallway and the single lamp hanging from the ceiling.

Duo knew he had seen someone walk past the door. That meant that that door was the only place for them to go. Whoever was sneaking around was stuck now.

If this was a prank made by homophobic neighbors then Duo was going to make them regret it. He did not appreciate being treated like this. He did not like being frightened in his own home. With a pipe from the old radiator held in a tight grip, Duo slowly moved towards the door. The floorboards creaked softly under him, growing louder the closer he got. It really felt darker here. Most likely because of the lack of windows and the far too weak light of the lamp. The wallpaper did not help. At first glance they just looked dirty up to shoulder height, but at a closer look they reveled to be worn down. It seemed to have been rubbed away, down to the gray wall underneath. Like someone had dragged something against it. Over and over again.

Duo reached the door. He paused in front of it, his sweaty hand taking another grip around the pipe. The wooden door was darker on one spot, just under a small hole from a nail. Like there had once been a small sign there, like something a child would have on their bedroom door. He reached out for the handle, still staring on it. The metal was cold under his hand. Slowly he pushed it down. A cool breeze rushed past his feet as the door opened. Suddenly the light flickered over his head and in the brief darkness, a pale face stared right at him. Dead eyes met his.

Duo screamed. The pipe fell, hitting the floor with a clang. Uncontrollable fear raced through his mind. In mindless panic he turn and ran, barely hearing the door fall shut behind him.

"What happened?" Wufei called out, hurrying out into the hallway to meet him.

Almost blind with terror, Duo gripped his husband. "It- it was." He panted desperately, feeling his whole body shake from the scare. "It was- was someone in there." He wheezed, pointing down the corridor.

Wufei frowned, looking over at the once again closed door. He reached into the bathroom, pulling out the big wrench Duo had used to fix the pipes to the washing machine. With calm steps he walked down the corridor. Duo followed him reluctantly, wishing he still had his pipe.

Wufei ripped the door open with the wrench held high, flicking on the light as he stepped in to take a look around. The room was empty.

"What exactly did you see?" Wufei asked slowly as he took another look around the harmless room. There was nothing out of the ordinary in there. Wufei's diplomas still hung along the walls, his Bonsai trees stood angled towards the sunlight and the desk was clean as usual with the exception of a lonely coffee mug.

Duo swallowed nervously, eyes flickering back and forth. "A face, maybe a woman's. I don't know. It was right in front of me."

Wufei gave the room a skeptical look but didn't point out how crazy it sounded. Duo loved him all the more for it. He was just as aware how crazy he was acting but he knew what he saw. It had been a face. Just as there had been a shape passing the doorway.

"Well whatever it was it's gone now." Wufei said, putting the wrench down on the desk next to his computer.

Duo for the first time noticed the bleeding cut on Wufei's throat. "Shit, you're bleeding."

"I got startled." Wufei said with a twisted smile.

Duo couldn't bring himself to smile back. "Come on, let's go." He took his husbands hand, leading him out of the room.

As they disappeared down the stairs, the office door slowly fell close with a soft click.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

As much as he dreaded it, Monday came along. Wufei left for work and he was suddenly all alone again.

In the house.

The sun was shining outside but Duo could for some reason not bring himself to go outside.

He stood by the window, staring out at the street.

Out there all the houses stood in neat lines in front of their neat lawns and their neat hedge. The neat looking men with their neat looking wives and their neat children. Duo felt like he was the only thing that stood out from the norm.

All alone he watched the world outside.

In front of him was everything one should want.

Behind him was only the empty house.

Empty rooms.

An empty life.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Day after day passed.

Nothing happened, everything was just as slow as it always was.

Duo felt like a fish in a bowl, going round and round and round.

There was nothing to do. The house was too clean. It was like someone was constantly cleaning it before the dust even had time to settle.

He made himself some lunch. Ate it in front of the TV. Nothing registered. Not the taste of his food or the images on the screen.

When he was done he drank slowly from the plastic bottle of coke he had bought a couple of days before. Sip after sip. Trying to make the time pass.

Then the bottle was empty and he had nothing to do again.

He stared up at the ceiling. It was white. Just like all the other times he had found himself looking up at it.

He got up to get another bottle, glad he hadn't bought that six-pack of beer he first wanted to buy. At this rate he would be an alcoholic before the month was over if given the chance.

The empty bottle landed in the recycling a new one was fetched out of the refrigerator.

He had just left the kitchen and was on his back to the living room when a strange pooping noise made him turn back the way he came.

It took him a second to figure out where the plastic noise was coming from. The recycling. He looked down into the box just in time to see the bottle snap back into its original shape. It was like someone had squeezed it hard, then let go to let the plastic pop back out.

A shiver went down his spine and Duo turned on his heel to go back into the living room. He wasn't thinking about it. He was just imaging it. He was not thinking about it.

He hurried his steps out off the room.

Then Duo paused. Standing in front of the curling staircase he turned stiffly to stare up it. He tried to tell himself that it was only in his mind and that he couldn't possibly have heard a door open from down there.

He held himself perfectly still, listening for any noise over the sound of his labored breathing.

Then.

Something.

Duo suddenly felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. A weakness in his legs. A tightening in his chest.

He could hear it.

It was a soft dragging noise.

Something was moving slowly down the hallway.

Shuffling uneven steps so quiet they were almost not there.

The slow dragging was just in time with the steps, as if something was leaning its weight against the worn out wallpaper as it moved. Like its shoulder and arm dragging along the wall as it used it for support to limp forward.

The rubbing noise seemed to echo through the house, as if it traveled through the very core of the building. It moved through the walls, the floor.

It surrounded him, made it impossible to ignore.

It was coming closer.

A soft thump echoed through the house and traveled up Duo's feet to settle like a lump of ice in his chest.

It had reached the stairs.

Fear rushed through him as he heard the first almost soundless step down the wooden stairs. He wanted to leave but his feet wouldn't move. He was trapped, like a mouse frozen in front of a snake. With a sinking feeling he stared at the staircase, waiting in dread for something to appear. Another step. His breath caught. His mind was screaming at him to run away. The dragging was becoming louder and Duo could hear the occasional scrape of nails against the wallpaper.

He knew that it knew he was there. That was why it was leaving its hiding place. It was coming for him. Slowly working its way down to get rid of him.

He shivered. It was growing cold and his body was turning numb.

He couldn't move.

The dragging went on and on.

As sudden as a pistol shot the floorboard creaked. Something had reached the end of the stairs. Standing right before him.

There was nothing there.

In pure terror Duo finally got his feet moving and he scrambled away, running for the front door.

He clawed the door. His fingers stiff and clumsy as he tried to unlock the door. Behind him he heard the soft sound of something being dragged along the wall.

The door opened and Duo leaped out on the front porch. He slammed the door closed behind him.

He was safe.

Panting he blinked at the bright sunshine around him.

Swallowing awkwardly he turned in a circle to find out if anyone had seen him. The street was empty aside from a couple of kids playing on a lawn further away. They paid him no mind as their dolls were fed. Duo wanted to call Wufei but his phone was lying on the kitchen counter together with his car keys.

He looked back at the closed door. It stayed closed and unthreatening.

Above him the birds were singing. A neighbor greeted him happily as he passed the yard with his walking fur ball of a dog.

Duo managed a smile and a small wave.

He was feeling very foolish. He was standing in the middle of his front yard in his socks because he thought a ghost was going to attack him.

He was being ridiculous. A house made noises. Everyone knew that. The rubbing noise most likely came from the washing machine. The pipes still weren't working the way they should. There were no ghosts.

Or at least that was what he was trying to tell himself.

But he couldn't make himself walk back inside.

He just couldn't.

In lack of options Duo started washing the car. In fast jerking movements he worked.

It was a bright warm day. There were hardly clouds on the sky.

Children were laughing happily as they ran past.

Duo was filled with such longing.

They hadn't heard anything from the adoption center in months. They had waited so long but still there had been no news.

The laughter and playful screams brought up the familiar longing.

To have a child of their own. A child to love and guide through life.

They would never get a child if the adoption agency thought he was losing his mind.

He glanced up at Wufei's office window. It was dark and empty.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

By the time Wufei had finally arrived Duo had managed to calm down enough to step into the house.

But no matter if he was imagining it or not he was going to have to talk to Wufei about it.

He took a seat at the kitchen table, not listening to a word that was coming out of his husband's mouth until it was directed at him with an angry tone.

"For god sakes Duo, _please _stop leaving your things all over the place." Wufei complained with an unopened coke bottle in one hand and a dirty plate in the other.

"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled over the old argument. He didn't point out Wufei's coffee mug habit or the fact that he was going to be the one cleaning things up anyway. Arguments like that never worked on Wufei. Besides, he had more important things on his mind.

He was going to have to talk to Wufei about it. Even if it was going to be totally humiliating.

"I need to talk to you."

Wufei made a noise to show he was listening.

"God, this is going to sound crazy." Duo mumbled, spinning his braid around his hand.

Wufei gave him a curious look as he put the plate down on the kitchen counter.

Duo hesitated before he slowly said what he was dreading to say. "There is either something wrong with this house… or with me."

"Wrong?" Wufei asked, putting the bottle down next to the plate. "With the pipes again? You didn't manage to fix them?"

Duo shifted awkwardly. "No, not wrong like that more like…" He trailed off for a moment before taking a deep breath. "It's like something bad happened here."

A moment of silence. "I'm not following." Wufei said, leaning back against the counter.

Duo steeled himself. There was no way back, he had to say it. "It's someone, something here. In the house."

Wufei gave him a long skeptical look as if trying to figure out if his words meant anything besides what he was implying. "What? Like a ghost?"

Duo reluctantly nodded. "Or something like that, I can feel it watching me and hear it move around. I don't know if I'm losing my mind or if there's actually something here."

Wufei sighed as if it was all suddenly clear to him. "You know what I think? I think you've spent too much time in here. You need to get out more, get a hobby or something that will get you out of the house. You are just bored, not crazy."

Duo started over the familiar thought that he himself had contemplated. They sounded so much more reasonable, not to mention sane. He would rather believe that his imagination was going wild from boredom instead of the alternative. He awkwardly rubbed his hands together, glancing over towards the stairs. For a second he almost imagined that he heard the dragging sound again. "Yeah, you're probably right, but keep your eyes open."

"Check, at the first sign of the house being haunted by Casper I'll call the Ghostbusters." Wufei smirked.

"Good." Duo breathed. It might sound like Wufei was being degrading but Duo knew him well enough to know that he was taking him seriously. Or at least as seriously someone who thought you were losing your mind could. Wufei would keep his eyes open.

He wasn't alone in this.

He glanced back at the stairs.

He noted that just like the wallpaper in the hallway on the second floor, the wallpaper by the stairs was worn. All the way up to shoulder height.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

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Duo walked aimlessly around the house, alone again. Ever since he woke up that morning and found that Wufei had already left, Duo had been having an underlying feeling that someone was following him.

He did his best to ignore it. He was clearly thinking too much about all the strange things going on and his mind was turning it all into something that it wasn't. Wufei was right, he had been spending too much time in this house and it was making him imagine all kinds of things.

But despite his decision, he couldn't relax.

His fingers trailed along Wufei's books in the living room where they stood in neat lines, sorted by size and subject. He took one down. It looked a bit interesting, or at least the cover did. Duo hadn't even thought to read the summary.

He walked over to the couch and sat down, trying to read but he just couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. It felt like someone was standing behind him, reading over his shoulder as he tried to focus.

The silence was eating at him. Unease forming like dark clouds over his head.

He tried to put some music on but he soon found himself twitching in annoyance and soon everything was quiet again.

He needed to talk to another person, to make the thoughts in his head clear and free from his imagination.

Before he knew what he was doing, Wufei had already answered his phone. "Chang."

Duo took another grip on his phone, awkwardly trying to think of something to say. "Uhm, hey babe, what do you want for dinner?"

"Yeah sure." Wufei said, clearly not paying attention. The sound of clattering keyboards was loud in the background.

An uneasy feeling made his insides tighten. He glanced over his shoulder towards the hallway. It was empty. "So it's up to me then? I was thinking that it's been a while since we had lasagna, so maybe I'll try that new recipe with spinachin it." He rambled staring at the doorway. Suddenly a cold shiver rushed down his back.

There was something out there.

Its presence felt like the knowledge of having a rotten dead animal in your house. It was as if he could hear slow steps dragging across the floor. It's ragged breath. Its body scraping along the walls as it made its way towards the doorway. Limping unevenly as it came towards him.

It was back.

Duo felt his throat contract. He stumbled to his feet and bumping and almost falling over the living room table. He had a desperate grip on the phone, wanting to scream for help into it but unable to get a single word out.

Right before his eyes, the hallway light went out.

He went numb with shock. Then came the terror that locked him in place. A chill snuck slowly up from the floor, working its way up his feet, making his knees tremble as it took over his body. His skin grewcold as if something was sucking the very life out off him. In horror he saw the darkness before him. It was coming to get him now.

Wufei sighed in irritation. "Duo, I really don't have time for this, now did you want something specific or are you just bored?"

Duo tried to scream but it was impossible. Shadows sank in to each other before his eyes. The darkness seemed to take shape. He could make out a slim figure. Its arms wrapped tightly around itself. Duo blinked desperately, hoping it would go away if he did but now he could see eyes full of hatred staring directly at his own. It despised him, it wanted him gone.

Wufei must have taken his silence for an answer as he went on. "Then find something to do, I'll be home at five."

The second Wufei hung up, the shadowy shape was gone. Duo stared, his heart beating uncontrollably. Frozen he stood staring at the dark hallway.

There hadbeen a shape there. Hadn't there? Suddenly he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure if he had really seen what he thought he had just seen but the fear was real. His whole body was crawling with, telling him to hide, to escape.

He was startled at the sharp ringing from the phone tightly clutched in his hand and the scream that had been stuck in his throat for so long finally made it out.

"Hello." He managed to get out, both hands shaking as they cradled the phone. His eyes glued to the doorway.

"Duo, for god's sake, I know you're bored but calling me to pretend that you have been kidnapped by ghosts is just not funny." Wufei hissed angrily.

"But-"Duo tried to protest but Wufei just hung up.

He looked down at the phone and then back to the hallway.

The light was on again.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei was in a terrible mood when he got home. He wouldn't speak to him, he barely even looked at him. Duo didn't dare to bring up the subject of the thing in their house. Wufei would most likely rip him a new one if he did.

Instead he sat silently, watching his husband's every move. Afraid to be left alone once again.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Wufei was gone an awful lot.

Duo remembered a time when Wufei had tried to get home from work as soon as possible, not the other way around. But things had been different then. A lot different. It was in a time when Duo had still been useful. He wasn't as young and fit as back then. He used to have killer abs, arms like a rower and a back that didn't need to be shaved to avoid looking like a forest. Wufei hadn't been able to keep his hands off him. Now time and inactivity had made them useless.

Duo could feel his body falling apart around him. Muscles melting away to give room to fat and loose skin. No wonder Wufei was never home when he looked like this.

It was just that every time he went out jogging he barely got down the street before he remembered just how much he hated jogging and how bad it was for his knee to do it. So he would turn and go back, feeling ridiculous. Then the next day, the urge would be back. He was getting fat, he needed to work out.

There were no gyms or swimming halls around, not unless he wanted to drive all way to the next town and that felt like a waste of gas.

There was no point in going through the hassle of shaving his back, not when Wufei didn't even spend any time with him. He could probably have dressed up in a thong with every inch of his body shaved and Wufei would not care.

They hadn't had sex since they had first moved in. Not that Duo felt any need for it, his desire had dried out. Wiped out by the rest of the chaotic emotions rushing through his body.

Duo missed his friends. He missed being able to go somewhere.

A town that didn't have a gym really didn't have any gay friendly clubs or bars, hell, they hardly had a bar at all.

He missed being useful and appreciated. He missed feeling like a real person. He missed Wufei.

Duo hunched over his plate, his eyes staring down at his meal.

It felt like he was the last man on earth.

He was all alone and Wufei was never around.

He had thought of calling his friends from back home but what good would that do? They were all busy with their children in various ages.

He had called his mother but he had only gotten her voice mail. She was probably busy with work. Just like Wufei.

Even now, when Wufei was sitting on the other side of the table from him, he might as well have been somewhere else.

The kitchen was quiet aside from the clinking of cutlery. Duo could hardly get a bite down.

He had spent all day working on the stew he had served. Every single piece was cut into the same size and the meat had boiled for hours to make sure that it was perfect. It had to be perfect.

A soft ringing cut through the echoing silence. Wufei dropped his fork down on the edge of his plate and reached down into his pocket for his cellphone. "Hey, Sarah. No-no, it's fine. You're not interrupting anything." Wufei listened attentively for a moment with a big smile on his face. "Yes of course, no it's no problem. I'll take a look at it." Wufei pushed his chair back, the wood making a dismissive sound as it scraped across the floor. "You tell him that." He laughed at whatever was said on the other side as he got up. Duo's grip around his knife tightened as he watched Wufei walk away. Leaving his carefully made dinner behind.

He could hear his steps going up the stairs, through the hallway then everything was quiet. Wufei was in his office.

Duo rammed the handle of his knife into the table. Dropping it, he took his head in his hands. Insecurities rushed though him. What if it wasn't work that was keeping Wufei away from him? Maybe… maybe he had found someone new, maybe he had even decided to go back to women.

The thought was terrifying.

Wufei had been in the closet for years before they met. He had even had a fiancé and everything.

What if he had decided that Duo wasn't enough? A gay man probably couldn't climb the company ladder as easily as a straight man.

Wufei, compared to him was just as handsome as he had always been. He was also successful, charming and funny. He could have anyone he wanted.

What if it wasn't him Wufei wanted?

What if…

Duo sat dejected in front of his plate, waiting for Wufei to return.

Time ticked by. Still Duo stayed. The food was cold. There was no reason to sit there. Duo didn't move. A big black fly circled the table, once, twice before settling on Wufei's abandoned plate. Duo watched it for a moment before lifting himself out of the chair. His legs felt stiff and heavy as he dragged himself over to the other side of the table.

Waving the bug away, he lifted Wufei's barely touched dinner. It was with a feeling of abandonment that he carried the plate into the kitchen to put some plastic wrap over it, in a hopeful but naive wish that Wufei would return when he was done with his call and remember the meal Duo had cooked for him.

Not wanting to think any more about unappreciated stews and phone calls that made his husband smile, Duo collected all the dishes on the counter and filled the sink with water. Clumsily he started washing up, as if his hands had suddenly gotten twice as heavy. His own food was carelessly scraped down into the trash. He had no use for it.

He took care in washing everything perfectly, not wanting there to be anything even the slightest bit dirty. It had to be perfect.

He walked restlessly from the kitchen into the living room and back again. He couldn't hear a sound from the office.

He put a hand on the banister and looked up towards the second floor. Maybe Wufei was done talking to _Sarah_ now.

His grip around the smooth wood tightened as he put a foot on the first step. It was creaking softly under his feet as he started walking up. He had started with firm, determined steps but before he knew it, he was slowing down. Suddenly feeling heavy, Duo leaned against the wall just a few steps from the top. His pulse was beating as if he had run up twice as many steps as he had. He was sweaty and out of breath. He should probably go back down stairs and sit down. But the thought of going back alone urged him on. Slowly he climbed up the last part of the stairs and started moving towards the door in the end of the hall. It was closed. The dark wood was looking even darker now since the light in the ceiling had gone out. Again.

Duo shifted his feet. He wasn't doing anything wrong, he was just going to open the door and see if Wufei was busy. Maybe ask if he wanted to watch a movie with him or play some videogames.

A feeling of unease grew inside of him and his hand froze in the air before it could reach the door handle.

What if he was bothering Wufei?

What if Wufei was doing something important?

He took a step back, then another one. He didn't want to make a pest out of himself. Wufei would come out when he was ready, that was all there was to it.

He turned and went downstairs, shoulders slumping as he hurried away.

Fretting he sat down on the sofa to wait, staring at the television but not seeing a thing of what was being played out on the screen. Hours passed. Still no Wufei

He went to bed alone.

The house was so quiet that he might as well have been alone in it. It felt empty, just like he did.

Routine was the only thing that made him move forward. He brushed his teeth, got undressed and crawled into bed. He pulled the duvet up to his chin. There were a pale light coming from between the blinds. The streetlight's work, Duo could only guess.

He stared into the dim room, unable to close his eyes. He realized that he was waiting. He turned over on his side, looking at the dark shape of the abandoned pillow next to him.

He rolled back onto his back, his movement sounding loud in the silence. There was a rising discomfort inside of him, one he could not put into words. It felt like someone was watching him again. He didn't know from where. It was just a growing feeling of unease.

He was getting goosebumps all the way down his arms, but he didn't feel cold. He went to find an extra blanket anyway.

Settling down he wished Wufei was there, his soft breaths comforting him in the dark.

Duo curled up on his side, his hands gripping the corner of his pillow as he tried to will himself to sleep.

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Duo woke up. He didn't know how he had managed to fall asleep but he apparently had. Wufei's side of the bed was empty, duvet pushed to the side. He reached out a hand. The spot was cold. Wufei hadn't been there in a while.

He got up to get dressed. He glanced down on the drive way. Wufei's car was gone. He was alone again.

He dragged his feet down stairs, feeling the loneliness settle in his bones. He wondered why he even got out of bed.

More by habit the hunger, Duo filled a bowl of cereal, only to freeze when he opened the refrigerator to get the milk out. The plate with last night's dinner still stood untouched on its shelf.

After a moment he forced himself to reach for the milk before quickly closing the door. He would rather let the milk go bad then to open it again to put it back.

He made it over to the table, his bowl cradled against his chest.

His heart sank as he saw the note on the table. It couldn't be a good note. He felt it.

'_Out of eggs, will be home at seven, love -W'_

Duo sat down heavily, elbows up on the table as he stared down at the note. The _'love -W'_ looked like it had been scribbled down by habit. Wufei had put more effort into writing _'eggs'_ then he had on _'love. '_

Maybe that was the way it was. Eggs that were more important than all the love they had once shared.

He let the note fall to the floor, his arms coming up to cradle his head. He wanted to cry but no tears came. Instead he simply sat. Alone, so terribly alone. After a while he got up and dragged his feet back upstairs. He was skipping breakfast today. He wasn't hungry anyway. Moving slowly, almost as if he was doing it in his sleep, Duo took a shower, standing numbly under the lukewarm water.

He didn't know what to do. Everything felt so hopeless.

How had this happened? How did they drift apart?

Duo took a shaky breath as he leaned forward until his forehead rested against the cold glass wall.

They had been so happy. Duo had never questioned their relationship. They were meant to be.

But maybe that wasn't enough.

With much effort, Duo shut the water off, standing still as the drops slid off him.

The hopelessness was overwhelming. As if on auto pilot he turned and stepped out on the cold tile floor.

He raised his eyes, looking at himself in the mirror.

He looked old and used up. There were lines on his face that had not been there only a couple of months ago. It wouldn't be any wonder if Wufei decided to be anywhere else but here with him.

Duo turned away.

They were clearly out of something but eggs weren't it.

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	6. Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

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Duo stared down at his crossword puzzle. Slowly he spelled out 'trapped' in the vertical row of boxes. And he was, beyond any doubt. Trapped.

Wufei had left for work in a hurry, barely speaking ten words to him. And the words he had spoken were to remind him to go shopping. Duo hadn't responded with anything but a short nod.

He knew that he had to get out of this ridiculous depression he was falling into.

It was making him imagine all kinds of things, like the face he had thought he had seen in Wufei's office. Not to mention that he was walking around feeling like someone was watching him. That where ever he went there was someone there with him, looking at him.

He didn't feel it as long as he was going something like cooking and cleaning, but when he sat down to relax, the feeling started to come crawling back.

He had to get out of the house more often, that was clearly the solution to this mess.

He was used to always being on the go. Working, building, creating things all day. It was against his nature to sit around all day like a pet waiting for its master to get home.

Nowadays the only reason he ever left the house was to go to the store. And he hated going to the store.

Reluctantly he got up and started going through the kitchen, searching for a lack of things that they needed. He grumbled a bit as he wrote down another couple of things on the shopping list. They were out of both milk and eggs. Duo tried not to think more about it.

He sat back down at the kitchen table, ignoring his unfinished crossword for the news paper. War and unfairness was on every page and it failed to bring his mood up. Then his eyes found a small ad. It was for a beginner's wood crafting class that was going to start that day, in just a few hours in fact. That was just what he needed. To go out and meet people and do something creative.

Maybe he would even stop feeling like a useless bag of flesh if he did.

Calling the number on the ad he found out that there was a spot open for him and that he would just have to show up.

Duo was thrilled. He whistled happily as he cleaned up the breakfast dishes. Then he started wiping the counters, the stove and the cupboard doors. And before he knew it he was vacuuming the floors.

Just like that, all his dark thoughts had been pushed away. He was Duo Maxwell, one hell of a handy man and someone who could create useful, beautiful things.

He smiled. This day was going to be just perfect. He was going to spend a couple of hours working with something he enjoyed and then he would have plenty of time to do some shopping and go home to make some dinner for Wufei.

Suddenly shopping didn't seem as bad as he went to check to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything on the list.

Whistling happily he checked his watch, noting that he might as well leave now. He didn't know exactly where he was going and he didn't want to arrive late. He made himself ready and stuffed his wallet and the shopping list into the pocket of his jacket as he turned to pick up his keys. Only that his car keys wasn't on the counter. With a frown he started to pat himself down, trying to find them.

When he didn't, he started searching through his other jacket, his nightstand, all his clothes in the laundry basket, all the tables, under the tables. The sense of urgency grew for every minute that passed.

In desperation he tried calling Wufei to ask if he had seen them but his husband just cut the call off.

"Well fuck you too." Duo hissed angrily. The workshop was going to start soon and he didn't want to miss the first meeting.

He took a hard look around the room.

They had to be here somewhere. Keys did _not_ just disappear.

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He had found no keys. And by the time he had accepted that he wouldn't find them, there hadn't been enough time to catch a bus.

He didn't think he was going to go to the rest of the meetings now. He hated to show up late when everyone had already gotten to know each other and had started working on their thing.

He was disappointed and frustrated, not to mention a bit pissed at Wufei for ignoring his call.

His roaming around the house was turning less restless, now it was just plain desperate. This house was driving him crazy, he kept walking around doing nothing between these walls. It was the cage holding him in.

He lied down on the couch, staring blindly up at the ceiling, arms lying straight along his sides. The silence was all around him. He couldn't even hear his own breath. He felt like he was dead. Maybe he was.

Hours passed. Nothing changed. Everything was the same.

Then Wufei got home.

Duo dragged his feet into the kitchen. He felt no joy at seeing the other man, just a feeling of bitterness and jealousy. Wufei looked like he had spent all day doing important things and meeting important people. Duo didn't respond to his husband's greeting as he walked passed him. Not that Wufei noticed, he was far too busy loading up the coffee maker and getting his mug out of the cupboard.

Duo sat down at the table and focused his eyes on the crossword in front of him. He didn't know why. He hated crosswords puzzles.

"I thought you were going shopping today?" Wufei asked, obviously annoyed as he shook the almost empty milk carton.

Duo looked up, frustration running through his veins. This day could have been perfect, his whole life would have gotten better if things had just worked out the way he wanted them to. Now it had all gone to hell and Wufei couldn't even be bothered to answer his damn phone. "I would have if I had managed to find my damned keys." Duo spat.

Wufei snorted. "I think your eyesight is going old man. They are on the counter where they always are."

"They're not." Duo slapped a hand down over the unsolved puzzle. "I've-" He cut himself off as he looked over at his husband who had his keys dangling from his finger.

"You suck at searching." Wufei said mockingly, making the pink panther keychain swing.

Duo could tell that Wufei was simply teasing but he couldn't help but take offense, his nerves not up for taking any more of a beating. "Yeah well fuck you Mr. Perfect. Where were they?"

"On the counter where you always leave them." Wufei frowned. The swinging keys came to a stop.

"They were not at the counter." He bit off. "I searched all over for them."

"Well I didn't move them." Wufei snorted, taking two steps forward to throw the keys down on the kitchen table. "I told you, you should keep better track of your things."

Anger bubbled up inside of him and he gave the other man a poisonous look as realization settled in. So _that's_ how it was. It would be just like Wufei to try to show him up by messing with him. Well this was taking it too far, this wasn't funny. He had been stuck in this god damn house all day when he could have been outside doing something, meeting people and creating things. All because Wufei wanted to be a stuck up ass and prove a point. Duo was not going to stand for it. He was not some fucking plaything that was only here for entertainment.

"Oh fuck you." Duo hissed. "It's one thing if you want to play all mighty god in front of the interns but you don't do that god damn shit to me!"

"What? I haven't done anything." Wufei denied, eyes blazing at the accusation. But Duo saw right through it.

"Yeah, like my keys just suddenly materialized out of thin air as soon as you got here."

"I didn't fucking touch your keys!"

"Give me one reason to believe that! You've done it before!"

"It was a joke and it's been like five years, get over it." Wufei sneered superiorly, arms crossed over his chest.

Duo could feel his anger growing, curling around him like a poisonous snake. As he opened his mouth, insults and hateful words rolled off his tongue. He could almost see Wufei snap as he retaliated.

Soon a plate hit the wall, shards spraying across the floor. Voices shouting in anger, year old missteps were dragged up and new ones were made.

The kitchen turned into battle field where no ground was won and no one was unharmed.

On the second floor, a light flickered past from under a closed door. A second later a soft click was heard.

The basement door was slowly opening.

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They had not spoken of their argument. They just kept a bit of distance to each other and had sex rougher than usual. Duo could deal with that, he wasn't much for talking things through anyway.

He supposed they were good. Even if Wufei was an ass.

Duo took his time preparing dinner. He wasn't angry about Wufei's fucked up sense of humor. Not at all. Not even a hint. He was just going to make dinner and it was going to be a fucking fantastic one. That would prove that he was not angry, he was not bitter and he certainly did not want to bash Wufei's head in with the microwave.

Despite his non existing anger, Duo had been walking around since Wufei left for work with a hollow ache in his stomach as if something was very wrong. He tried to ignore it as he kept working. This dinner was going to be perfect.

His phone started ringing in a familiar tone, the only tune that ever rang now days. He was sick of it.

"Yeah?" He answered shortly, not in the mood for pet names and teasing.

"Hey, something came up. I won't make it back to dinner." Wufei's stressed voice came on.

Duo closed his eyes, leaning his head against the refrigerator. "Oh?"

"Yeah, Sarah and I ran into some problems on our project that we have to fix before tomorrow's presentation." There was the sound of a door opening and a female voice softly calling Wufei's name. "I've got to go. Don't know how long it will take so don't wait up."

Duo shifted his jaw. "I won't." He said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Wufei sighed. "Duo, you-"

Duo hung up, not interested in hearing what more excuses Wufei had. He always had several, all designed to tell him just how much more important his priorities was than Duo's. He hated how they made him feel, like he was being unreasonable and childish.

With one smooth move he tipped the glazed steak he had been working on into the garbage.

He had no use for it.

He dropped the empty plate into the sink before turning in a restless circle on the tiled floor, not knowing what to do now. The spotless kitchen felt cramped and cold. Nothing out of place, nothing that felt welcoming. Sterile. Empty. He wrapped his arms around himself, leaning back against the counter. He was so alone, like a trapped animal in a pretty cell.

It felt like Wufei came to him for affection and company whenever he felt like it. Then when he had his fill he could just go back into the world and do whatever he wanted, leaving Duo stuck in this God forsaken house.

He had no friends here, no family and now he didn't even have Wufei. He was all alone. In this clean, perfect house.

A sharp thump, then the unmistakable sound of quick footstep was suddenly heard above his head. Duo froze. Then a grim smile took over his face.

There was no such thing as ghosts but there were plenty of assholes. And one of them seemed to have given themselves away.

This time he was going to catch the bastard messing with him in the act.

This time he was going to take his anger and loneliness out on someone who deserved it.

With the chilling smile still on his face, Duo fished the large butcher knife out of the second drawer. Cold light reflected off the sharp metal as he flexed his wrist.

Revenge was the only thing on his mind.

With the knife in hand he carefully made his way up the stairs. Socked feet slowly taking one step at the time so as to not make the boards creak so he wouldn't give himself away. He reached the hallway, it was dark and empty as usual.

He took a quick look into the dark bathroom but the shadowy shapes were still and innocent. He looked towards Wufei's office. He could barely make out the door in the gloomy darkness. Everything was silent. He looked towards their bedroom door in front of him. It was open just a crack and through it -light was creeping out. Duo knew he had turned it off when he went down stairs.

He was going to get the fucker now.

With the knife in a tight grip, Duo slowly snuck over to the door, giving it a careful push. Slowly the door swung open and Duo stepped in, heart pounding hard as his eyes searched for the intruder. The room was empty.

He looked around. The bed, still unmade stood in the middle of the room. The closet, the dresser with books and other random things covering it were just the way he had left it. Nothing was out of place.

Then he heard a noise from the stairs.

The bastard was on his way down.

Duo turned on his heel as he rushed towards it. He could see no one there. They had already reached the bottom floor. He ran down, hoping to catch them before the bastard made it out the front door. His feet thundered against the steps, reaching the bottom with a satisfying thump.

His eyes fell on the front door. It was locked. Then a movement in the corner of his eye made him turn around.

The basement door was open. Duo paused. What the hell did they want from down there?

With the knife held out in front of him, he slowly made his way towards the open door. A chilling feeling of being watched suddenly came over him. He looked around the dim hallway. There were not a sound, no movement, just the intimidating darkness of the basement and the feeling of being _watched_.

Duo reached out for the light switch, flipping it with a shaky hand. There was no light. Everything stayed dark and threatening. Duo's breathing turned shallow in fright as the darkness seemed to gather around him like smoke.

He was watched. But it felt closer now. A lot closer than he had felt before. It was looking down at him. Creeping up behind him. Reaching out towards him with greedy arms. Breathing down his neck no matter how much he turned. His grip around the knife was slick of sweat, his eyes flickering back and forth.

Then he heard it.

It came from deep in the dark.

Slow, heavy steps against the wooden floor.

Slow uneven steps that seemed to limp towards him.

With the uneven steps, he could hear the sound of something heavy being dragged along the wall.

Scraping against the wallpaper.

It didn't stop, didn't hesitate.

It just came closer.

It was here.

It was here for him.

Then a sudden sharp pain stabbed against his spine. Digging into his skin. It felt like someone had jabbed him in the back with sharp fingernails.

Duo quickly he turned around, but there was no one there. Only empty air but the feeling of a presence remained. He stumbled back, instinctively trying to get away from it. But it was no use. It followed.

The carpet was curling up under his feet, making him stumble as he retreated.

He couldn't see it, but it came towards him.

Closing in.

Then he felt it, clear as day. Someone put their hands against his shoulders and shoved.

Duo barely had time to scream before he tipped backwards. Falling helplessly down the basement stairs. The dark closed in around him, swallowing him as he tumbled down like a boneless doll.

On top of the stairwell, the door slowly swung closed with a soft click.

Then everything was quiet.

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	7. Chapter 7

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Chapter 7

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It took Duo a moment to realize that he had already opened his eyes, but it made no difference. It was so dark around him that he couldn't tell if he hadn't in fact gone blind. He was lying on his stomach on what felt like a dusty concrete floor. He hurt pretty much all over, his head especially. Slowly raising a hand he felt along his hair line. There was a cut there, he couldn't tell if it was deep or not. He should go to the bathroom so he could take a look at it.

It wasn't until that thought went through his head that Duo suddenly remembered. Someone had shoved him down the stairs.

He pushed himself up on his knees, head spinning as he managed to sit up.

It was so dark. He couldn't see a thing.

Panic started to bubble up in his stomach but he forced himself to think logical. He had fallen down the basement stairs, therefore it should be pretty close to where he was lying now. He just had to find the stair and walk up it. Then he was going to fucking nail the door shut and put the tent up in the backyard. Fuck what the neighbors thought about him.

He fumbled forward on all fours. The gritty floor cutting into his palms and knees. Then his fingers hit a cold concrete wall. With it as support he managed to get up on his feet. He ran his hands over the wall, trying to find a light switch or at least figure out where he was.

All he found was a pile of big cardboard boxes. He felt along the edge of them, as he worked his way past them. It must be boxes with the rest of Wufei's boring books, the ones that hadn't fit in the bookshelf in the living room. He tried to remember what part of the basement they had placed them in but he couldn't remember. He kept going, hands finding the ice cold wall again.

There was a strange earthy smell down here, one that he couldn't place. It didn't smell like a basement.

Suddenly his feet hit something metallic and heavy, making him stumble and almost fall over. He managed to find his footing by grabbing on to what felt like a bundle of cables handing off the wall. He pulled himself straight, his heart thumping hard. Confused he felt along one of the thick cord in his hand. He couldn't remember putting any cables this big down here and Wufei wasn't very good with anything electric and would stay far away from anything mechanical that wasn't a computer or a coffee maker.

He tried to take a step around the unmovable object at his feet, his toes feeling along the uneven and sharp edges. More cables slapped against his face as he took a step forward, sharp metal wires scratching against his skin. He jerked back as he stepped right into a hoop of cables hanging from the ceiling, gasping at the unpleasant feeling as the cold plastic settled against his throat. But he couldn't get away, the cable seemed to follow him as he tried to back away. His heels hit the heavy object again but this time he was moving too fast to catch himself and he fell, arms swinging. The cable tightened around his throat. He hit the floor with a painful thump. Dust rushed over his face, getting into his eyes and mouth as he fought to breath as his windpipe was suddenly blocked. He couldn't breathe. He clawed the hard plastic. It was stuck. The cable was cutting into his skin. It was tightening. He was going to die. He tried to get the thick cable away. He pulled desperately. Lights flashing by his eyes. His fingers were going numb. It felt like someone was holding on to the other end pulling against him. Then with a snap, the pressure lessened and Duo took a couple of deep labored breaths.

With tears of panic in his eyes he finally managed to rip the hoop off him, feeling it hook into his braid briefly before going over his head and flying through the air as Duo threw it away from him.

Crying in fright and relief, he curled up on his side as he just _breathed_ with his hands cradling his tender throat.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God." He chanted breathlessly into the darkness, curling up against the boxes. He jerked his socked feet close as they brushed against what felt like thin entangled cables.

That had been close. The prospect of death had never felt more near. It had been looking over his shoulder, waiting for his last breath.

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against his knees. He had to get out of there.

When he felt more in control and calm enough to stand, Duo slowly got back up on his feet. His hands rested against the rough wall, holding him up as he tried to think.

He didn't want to try to walk past the cables again, he didn't want to get trapped like that again. Duo had never considered himself to be someone who was scared of dying but now he found himself near paralyzed with fear just thinking about feeling those cables tightening around his throat.

He turned and made his way towards the boxes, walking the other way. The stair might as well be in that direction he reasoned.

He walked on with wobbling steps, feeling along the concrete wall. He found more boxes, a lot more then he could remember. When he got out of there he was going to force Wufei to throw away some of his bellowed books because having this many was ridiculous. He fumbled forward in the dark, his poor toes bumping into new piles over and over again. With both hands stretched to the sides he felt piles on both sides, higher than he could reach. He was walking in a narrow canyon, an ally made of boxes that towered far above him. There didn't seem to be any end to them and after a couple of minutes of not finding the stairs he suddenly realized that he was walking in the wrong direction. Bitterly he tightened his lips as he turned around. There was no way he had been able to roll so far away from the stairs.

Duo really didn't want to take the same way back but he unless he wanted to walk around the entire basement with blood running down his face, he had no choice. He rested his forehead against the closest cardboard box, trying to find strength. It was cold down here, his feet were going numb from the chill of the concrete floor. There were a thousand things he rather wanted to do than be down there but to get out he was going to have to stop being a coward and just go. Trying not to think he turned and walked back passed the boxes, a hand moving from side to side in front of him to find the cables before they found him.

He frowned. He couldn't find them. Instead it was what felt like old car tires he found hanging off the wall. In confusion he felt along the rubber. They felt old and dry, like they had been hanging there for a long time.

"What the fuck is going on." Duo whispered to himself, his voice sounding unnaturally loud in the dark. "There are no tires in our basement, I put them in the garage."

With a shaky breath he tried to think. Maybe they had moved him. Somehow his homophobic neighbors had moved him to somewhere else. To another basement or maybe they had put things in his basement.

Duo took another shaky breath, leaning back against one of the tires.

Only it wasn't a neighbor who had pushed him down the stairs. There was no use in denying it, not to himself. Not down there in the complete and total darkness. Duo shivered as cold fear ran up his spine.

This couldn't be happening. He had to get out of there.

He moved on in the direction he had started in, his hands moving blindly in front of him.

His fingertips suddenly found something furry that shifted sharply as he touched it. The picture of a growling beast flashed through Duo's mind and he couldn't stop the scream from breaking out of his mouth. But there were no wild animal striking out, just the echo of his voiced fear.

With cold sweat breaking out on his back he reached out again. The soft fur was now still under his hand as he felt along it. It was a sleeve. Duo breathed out a sigh in relief, laughing shortly at his own foolishness. But the sound was stiff and fake without any real humor. There was nothing funny about this situation.

He moved on, trailing a hand over more fur coats hanging of a rack along the wall. They were covered in dust and spider webs, making Duo wonder why no one had taken better care of them. His hands found the cold concrete wall again and he moved on.

From there on he kept stumbling over things. Things he couldn't identify. Boxes and things in different materials. He didn't stop to find out what they were, he just kept moving.

His foot sank down into something firm but soft and he shrieked as he felt it touch his wrist as it closed around his foot. He stumbled forward and away. His feet instantly ran into more soft objects. At first he almost thought it was more furs but as he bent down to inspect them with his hands he realized they were stuffed animals. He picked up what felt like a teddy bear, feeling along the worn fur with his finger tips. He didn't know why, but it felt like the bear was grinning at him. That it was happy that he was down there with it. Duo dropped the bear like it had burned him. He started wading through the animals, hurrying as he felt them brush against his feet. He got away from them but his unease kept growing. The silence around him was deafening. The only sounds coming from his movements and too quick breathing. He fumbled on, following the wall, feeling the rough surface and occasional some shallow cracks. By the touch of his hands he found an open doorway. His fingers danced in hope over the wooden frame.

Then he hesitated. Should he move past it and keep walking, or should he take a chance and walk into the room? He leaned his head against the doorway. The smart thing would be to keep walking but the almost triumphing feeling he had felt when he had found the opening wanted differently.

But this wasn't an adventure or a movie. There was a cut on his head, his throat was still burning from his brush with strangulation and the impenetrable darkness around him was making his skin crawl. He moved on, leaving the doorway unexplored.

Logic told him if he just kept following the wall, he would eventually find the stairs. He had to find it. He kept walking, moving past so many things that lined the wall.

He didn't know how long he had been walking when he felt the wall come to an end in a corner. He sank down, leaning back against the two connecting walls. He leaned his head back, staring blindly up at the ceiling. He didn't know what to feel but at least he was getting somewhere.

He was so unbelievably tired.

He thought of staying where he was.

But what good would that do?

He dragged himself up on his feet. The palms of his hands resting against the cold wall.

He found himself wishing, not to get out, but for Wufei's presence. His husband would have known what to do. He would never have been as scared and helpless as he was.

Duo hated being alone. He hated to feel like he had no one to rely on. He hated to have to make all decisions on his own. He hated it when Wufei left him all alone. He hated to fall asleep on his own. He hated to wake up on his own. He hated having to eat all by himself. He hated knowing that it would take hours before Wufei would even start to wonder where he had gone.

With heavy feet and arms that barely had the strength to move in front of him, Duo walked on. And on, and on.

The wall seemed endless; he had been walking what felt like hours. He must have missed a doorway or a corner somewhere and ended up walking in a circle. That was the only explanation. He kept walking

The strange thing was that he kept bumping into new things. A pile of pots that fell to the floor with a resonating crash, discarded dead plants in big pots, piles of news papers, so old that they started falling apart between his fingers.

A shelf filled with round boxes, all seemingly containing old fashioned hats with big silk flowers or feathers.

He kept walking, there was nothing else to do.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

He didn't know how long he had been down there when he realized something.

He wasn't alone.

There was something down there with him. He knew it now.

He had the feeling that something was following him around in the dark. Watching him as he fumbled and searched.

Duo stopped, refusing to take another step.

Carefully he listened.

First there was only silence.

Then the soft dragging noise was heard.

Slowly moving towards him.

It was closing in.

Limping steps soon came to a stop. Right behind him.

Enough.

In pure instinct, Duo raised his fist as he spun around and punched.

He hit nothing but air, the lack of resistance making him stumble, tripping on something wooded. He fell to the floor. Dust rose from the floor, rushing over him. With a cough he inhaled it against his will.

'Out' Duo thought as he laid there, staring blindly up towards the ceiling. 'I have to get out'

The basement was pitch black. He listened as his heartbeat slowed. There was no sound, not the smallest shuffle. He was alone.

He awkwardly rolled to his feet. Both hands against the wall, trying to center himself.

In a desperate attempt to get somewhere he left the wall, walking straight out into the room. It was like walking out into space. Around him he felt the room expand, walls and ceiling slowly moving away from him. Becoming unreachable. The world contained only darkness, there were nothing besides it. Above and below was only endless darkness.

It was hard to walk in a straight line when you couldn't see, like his brain couldn't tell where he should put his feet.

He didn't stumble over anything, The floor was empty. An endless nothingness. His searching hands found nothing but air as they swung in front of him. He quickened his steps, wanting to reach the other side of the room. There was nothing, only darkness as it ate away on his sanity.

He started to run, wanting nothing more than to run straight into a concrete wall.

He ran like he hadn't done in years.

Like he had never injured his knee.

His feet light against the hard, cold floor.

There was nothing there.

Nothing.

He ran until he could run no more. He was panting hard, his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest. He could taste blood in his mouth as he sank to the floor. Exhausted he started to tip over.

His shoulder hit a cold wall.

Duo sobbed in relief as he suddenly felt the concrete against his hands again.

He was starting to realize that there were no way out. He was trapped.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The sound of a phone ringing woke Duo up. Total darkness was the only thing to meet him when he opened his eyes. He had curled up on top of some old towels he had found, creating a nest.

He scrambled out of it, tripping and crawling towards the sound.

The ringing went on, cutting harshly through the silence.

It sounded like an old fashion phone, like something from an old black and white movie.

He finally found the phone standing on a pedestal table. It felt like an old fashion rotary dial telephone and the receiver fell out of his hand as he tried to get a grip on it. He snatched it up from where it had fallen, sitting down on the dusty floor as he pressed it against his ear.

"Hello?" He asked, desperate for not only help but human contact as well.

"Miss me already do you babe?" The hair rose all over his body when he heard his own voice answer him.

"Duo." Wufei's devastated voice chocked out.

Duo stood up sharply, dragging the phone from its place on the table. "WUFEI! I'm in the basement, you-" His own voice cut him off.

"Wufei? What's wrong?"

There was no response, only the sound of Wufei's wet sobs.

"Baby." He heard himself take a shaky breath. "Baby please answer me, what's wrong?"

"You're alive." Wufei cried out thickly.

Duo let out a shout in frustration and helplessness. The fingers of his free hand dug into the wall, uncaring of the pain in caused. "_Wufei_! The basement! Go to the basement!"

"Of course I'm alive, what's going on?"

"Get out Duo! Get out of the house!" Wufei rasped between his panting. "Don't let it get you, please don't let it. Don't die!"

Duo felt fear rush trough him. His heart was racing as he listened to his own pleading voice beg Wufei to tell him where he was. Then everything went quiet.

He threw the phone away from him.

"Let me out!" He screamed into the darkness. "Let me out of here you bastard!"

He punched the walls, pushing everything he could find to the ground. His hands found what felt like a snow shovel in the dark, using it to swing wildly around.

Things crashed to the ground. Glass breaking as it hit the concrete floor. The black nothingness was suddenly filled with noise. It was almost as if things were falling on their own too, creating a symphony of destruction together with Duo in his desperation.

He was making enough noise to wake the dead.

But nothing happened. As soon as he stopped, everything was quiet.

Completely silent.

Like a grave.

With a painful sob stuck in his throat, Duo picked up what felt like a porcelain figurine and threw it hard against the ceiling, making sharp pieces rain over him. "Wufei!"

His only answer was the echo.

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	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter 8

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Time went by. There was no way of knowing how long it had been. Time did not exist there in the dark. There were only now and _before_.

His watch had stopped, not that it did any difference when he couldn't even see it.

For some reason he was not hungry. He knew he should be but he wasn't. But he was thirsty, thirsty to the point where he had to reevaluate his definition of what thirsty meant. Because this was far beyond what he had ever experienced. Every breath he took he wished for something to drink. His throat was painfully dry and he could feel every breath as is cut its way up and down to his lungs. Like if he was sucking the dark down inside of him, letting it dry him out bit by bit. Cell by cell he was becoming one with the dust on the floor.

He kept walking, it was all he could do not to fall into despair. Stumbling on.

The dark was consuming, it felt like it was sucking out all his hope and energy. He was a rat, living in the dark, stuck in an endless maze with no way to escape. Trapped. Trapped. Trapped.

His hands were raw from bumping into sharp corners and feeling along cold concrete walls. What was left of his socks gave next to no protection.

He missed the sunshine. He wanted light. He wanted warmth. He wanted to curl up on the couch with Wufei resting against his chest, lazily watching TV or just dozing carelessly as he let the day drift by.

The phone was ringing again somewhere ahead of him. For a second he didn't want to find it. He didn't want to hear what he was afraid of hearing. Because if he did, it would make it real. Once could be an illusion, twice is too much to deny.

But the taunting signal went on. Ripping its way through the silence like a blood thirsty demon. He couldn't take it. He had to answer. Had to know.

He reluctantly searched his way towards the signal. His hands fumbling blindly and feet stumbling over old toys, LP records, empty boxes and god knows what else. He finally found the phone on the floor behind a pile of books. It was off the hook but that apparently didn't matter as it kept ringing.

He picked it up, half sitting, half lying over the sliding book piles. "Hello." He managed to choke out, his throat raw and dry.

"Hey, something came up. I won't make it back to dinner." Wufei's stressed voice told him, the familiar sound of ringing phones and people talking could be heard in the background.

Duo broke down crying, sobbing helplessly as he listened to the conversation play out.

"I won't." He heard his own bitter voice bite off.

Wufei sighed softly, and Duo suddenly realized how sad that sound was. "Duo, I-"

The clink of a phone hanging up was heard, but Wufei was still there. He heard him take a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, I miss you." Wufei told the empty line. "I love you."

Duo screamed on top of his lungs.

Wufei hung up.

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It was something about this darkness.

It was as if it was thicker, more alive than any darkness he had ever seen before.

No matter how much his eyes tried to adapt, the darkness remained just as overwhelming until he stopped trying.

It was hard to keep hope alive. It was hard to convince yourself that _you_ were alive.

Numbly Duo sat on the cold floor, staring blindly in front of him. The only thing moving was one single finger that shifted over the dial wheal. Over and over again he dialed the same combination of numbers. All he got on the other side was a low haunting tone. In the devastating silence around him it sounded so loud, like it was the only sound in the world.

The tone when on and on.

Then.

"Chang." A stressed voice answered.

"Wufei." Duo breathed, almost choking on the sudden happiness.

Wufei sighed. "Duo, seriously, not again. _Enough_. I know you're bored but I have work to do. Just make the lasagna if you feel like it."

Duo tried to wet his dry tongue but failed. "I- I need help." He whispered, his fingers digging into his scalp. His knotted dirty hair hanging over his face.

"Duo… " There was a slight hesitation. "Did something happen?"

Duo tried to focus but it was so hard to tell what was real or not. Maybe this wasn't Wufei, maybe it was all in his head. He couldn't be sure. He couldn't trust himself. In the dark there were no up, no down, no time… no Duo. It just moved on and on and on and never stopped never changed. For so long, so alone. To remember how to explain, to talk, to tell the tale of what had happened when you couldn't even be sure of how or if it had happened. But he was there, in the dark… wasn't he?

He took a deep breath, eyes fixed at the dark. "It was something there, in the dark, but you couldn't see it and there was nothing there but it shoved me, it shoved me down the stairs, the basement, the dark and won't let me go it won't itwon't-itwon't-itwon't I'm in the house a house our house some house I think so-long-so-far and- and it won't let me go I can't, I can't get out I just go round, forward."

Wufei huffed angrily. "So let me get this straight. You're kidnapped by… ghosts? I swear to God Duo, this joke is not funny, find something else to do, lasagna for example. _Do not_ call me again, I have a million things to do, my boss is breathing down my neck, Sarah is being a bitch again and I really don't have time for all your prank calls if I want to get home before midnight. _No_ _more_, I'm serious." With that he hung up.

For a second Duo simply fingered the receiver, hugging it between his cheek and his shoulder. Then he put it down. He leaned backwards. He leaned forward. Slowly he started to rock, back and forth. Fingers wrapped tightly together and pushed in under his chin he started to hum.

It was a familiar tone.

A song, a ring tone that he had once loved, then hated and now would give anything to hear.

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Duo was becoming more and more aware that there was someone else down there with him.

He was no longer afraid, he was grateful.

The loneliness was devastating.

The presence was reassuring. They did not speak, there was no need. There was nothing to say.

They were both lost down there and the presence seemed to have accepted him. Or that's was what it felt like. There was no radiating anger. No cables hooped around his neck. Nothing.

She almost seemed content.

Because it was a she, he just knew.

Then she told him to find her.

He searched.

Further into the darkness he searched.

The walls were no longer concrete, but hard packed dirt and mud, like in an old food cellar.

He had to duck to get in, the roof turning dramatically lower.

He trailed a hand above his head, feeling the uneven roof above him and the occasional beam holding it up.

Getting down on his knees he moved on, hands searching blindly over the dirt floor.

His fingers found something smooth and cold. With a soft touch he followed the linking pieces up. Moving gently, searching until his fingers found two empty eye sockets.

"Found you."He whispered, bending down to kiss a cheek of bone.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Time.

Slow time.

Fast time.

No time.

Quiet.

Still.

Endless.

He didn't know how long he had been down there. It felt like days. It was strange. He didn't even feel thirsty any more. The dark didn't scare him. Her presence next to him was comforting. This wasn't such a bad place to be.

He smiled into the dark.

Duo slept. He felt no fear, just peace as he let go of the outside world and let himself fall gently asleep.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A rumbling noise woke him up. The ground was shaking, disrupting his sleep. He did not know how much time had passed since he had last been aware but it felt like ages. Like the world had kept turning, leaving him behind.

He was about to go back to sleep when the earth moved again as if to shake him awake. He frowned as his thoughts started turning, not letting him fall back into oblivion. There was a reason to go on, to move from his spot on the dirty floor. He just could not remember what it was.

The lonely bones next to him told him that it didn't matter. It held no importance. This was where they belonged, this was where they should stay.

Duo put his head back down, his forehead resting against hers.

It was peaceful there. He wasn't alone. He could remember being alone before. He didn't like it. He had been alone, betrayed, used, forgotten, beaten and violated by the man who had sworn to love him. All in that room, in that once beloved room where a little angel should have been resting. But he had failed to bring that angel into life, failed and paid the price in blood, over and over again. His husband had made sure he knew that he deserved nothing else. Then, when there had been nothing more to use and punish, when his husband had gotten sick of listening to him drag his hurting body along the walls, he had taken the last of him. His freedom, his life. Trapped in the dark. All alone. Being forced to listen and watch as others took over his house. Time was endless, time didn't stop. Alone, all alone. But no more, never alone again.

Now they were two down here.

Two abandoned.

Two forgotten.

Two betrayed

Two murdered.

Duo blinked with eyes that saw nothing. No, that wasn't it. There was something that didn't fit. Something was missing. Something he couldn't remember. Something that shouldn't be forgotten. It was something important, something that was a part of him.

The other called out to him, wanting him to stop thinking. To forget everything and just close his eyes and join her.

Duo frowned, trying to remember. It flickered past his consciousness, urging him on. It was- it was-

Smiling eyes on an unsmiling face, a soft touch from strong hands, hard words in a teasing tone. Determination of steel, endless acceptance. Giving and taking and compromising. Contrasts, perfect symmetry, love. _Love_.

Duo's body twitched, muscles protesting against the movement.

There had been love. Somewhere _before_.

The other coaxed him to fall back asleep, urgently, insistently.

But the thought had found footing. It had started to grow.

Before, before the sleep, before the dark, before loneliness, before the betrayal. There had been something, someone, love.

Forcing the thought forward, his body growing heavier the more conscious he became.

This wasn't where he belonged. He wasn't the one who had been forgotten and betrayed. He wasn't… dead. He was still alive, he had no place here in the dark.

He shouldn't be here, he should be with Wufei.

_Wufei_.

Fighting hard to get up on his knees, hunger gripped him suddenly, thirst like nothing he had ever felt before rushed through him. His body felt weak and dehydrated. He wasn't dead, the dead would never feel this bad.

The ground was shaking, rumbling in protest all around him. He could hear things tumbling to the ground from the vibration and a rain of dust was falling down over him.

Slowly he crawled away from her, ignoring the feeling of sharp fingernail against his tender skin. He would not let himself be held back, there was someone waiting for him up there.

He felt around, finding a wall of tightly packed dirt. He tried to stand but the ceiling was too low. He moved on, ignoring the begging that wanted him to stop. Blindly he fumbled on, trying to find an option to dying. Suddenly his hands found a part of the wall with mud, thick but moist mud that slid through his fingers as he pushed into it.

With something that felt like hope growing in his chest, Duo started to dig. The mud fell with wet slaps against the dirt floor around his knees. Fist size lumps tumbling down. His already cold hands were freezing within seconds.

He dug, not knowing where he found the strength. He tried to keep his balance on the pile of mud he dug out, trying not to slip. His nails broke against sharp rocks, fingers bleeding as he scratched his way vertically upwards. He really was a rat, a desperate rat fighting for its life. His efforts resulted in a narrow tunnel, barely wide enough to fit him. His back was dragging against the roof and his knees kept sinking deep into the soft mud. It was a slow process. He had to stop over and over again as he grow tired and felt like he was about to pass out. If he did he knew he would not make it. This was his only chance to live. This was his only change to get to Wufei.

Wufei.

The thought of his husband urged him on. Memories of how they met. The things they had done together. Hopes and dreams they had shared. Small stupid memories of getting lost in foreign cities, of taking shelter from the rain in a women's underwear store and kissing in a dark corner of a parking garage. Things that at the time didn't feel all that special but now was worth more than anything.

Duo dug on despite his fading strength. He didn't know how long he had been digging but it felt like days. The tunnel around him was now long enough to fit his whole body in a pretty sharp angle that was constantly threatening to make him slide back down. It couldn't be much further. It just couldn't.

The smell of mud was overwhelming. It was wet and cold all around him. Worms wiggled in protest between his fingers as he scratched his way through their tunnels.

At least the ground had stopped shaking. Duo had never been a fan of earth quakes but when you were in a tunnel made of mud, god knows how far under the surface, than you really didn't like them.

The earth was growing wetter the further up he got and he was no longer digging as much as he was just scoping the cold mess away from the end of the tunnel. Water was gathering, creating a small stream under him. He tried to tell himself that it was a good sign, that he must be getting closer but as the walls started to crumble wetly around him, making his tunnel shapeless and tight around him, it was a hard thing to do.

Then with a wet rumbling, the roof behind him suddenly started to collapse, the slimy mud falling down as far as up to his knees. He was trapped. In the total darkness he could feel the thick muddy water pooling around his hands and knees as it no longer had anywhere to go. Panic was clawing at his mind. It wouldn't take long before he ran out of air or simply drowned in the water that was filling up the bottom of his space far too quickly. With tears of fear running down his face he dug upwards instead of the steeping degree he had started with. If he wasn't close to the surface he would die. He had to be close. He had to. He swayed as he managed to get to his feet, clawing the earth above his head. The thick mud fell effortlessly to his feet, hitting the water with daunting splashes. But the mud was too wet to stand on and his feet were sinking as he tried to reach higher. The water was rising all the way over his knees now.

Then what felt like a wet avalanche started around him, mud falling all around him as it started to close in around him. Mud was all around him. It got into his mouth, his ears, his eyes. More freezing mud fell, sliding down his body. He tried to fight his way up out of the mud that was trying to bury him. But it was so heavy, so cold, it was holding him down. He couldn't breathe, the earth was closing in around him, pushing against his chest, swallowing him.

Then something gave way and as if being delivered to life again, Duo broke the surface. His fingers felt strands of grass and Duo let out a painful sob as he felt a calm breeze rush over his dirty skin. Squirming like a worm he managed to get his hands out off the small hole, pushing the grass covered edges away to make it bigger.

He looked up and for a heart stopping moment, Duo only saw the stars. Freedom. He made it.

Then slowly, his body began to slide back as the edges of the hole started giving away, the wet mud trying to suck him back down.

The feeling of fingernails against his ankles was unmistakable.

They dug harshly into his skin. Pulling him back down. His body was beyond tired, it barely had any strength left. Duo cried bitter tears. No. No. No. With desperate hands he gripped wet grass, throbbing fingers sinking in to the damp ground. Pulling himself upwards, shoulders staining against his own weight he fought. He would not die here. Not so close. His clothes and hair was heavy of mud and water, making his fight more difficult. Then with one last pull he managed to get his shoulders over the edge and with one last great heave he rolled onto his side, hip barely out of his prison as he collapsed.

He could move no more. With shallow gasps of air, Duo breathed in the cool night air. It was glorious.

Then as his heart started to slow down to its normal rhythm, Duo took in his surroundings in the pale light of the moon. The first thing he saw was a big yellow bulldozer standing an arm length away from him. He spent several moments just looking up at it, as if trying to understand what he was seeing. His eyes flickered to the side and he recognized the lawn he was lying on as his own, but that did not explain the heavy machinery.

Slowly he turned his head to the other side, his hair a thick wet curtain against his skin. He was expecting to see a pale yellow house, hopefully with the lights shining down from their bedroom. The thought that Wufei might not be there had not even enter his mind and it was a shock to see that where there should have been a beautiful house, there was nothing but a pile of broken wood.

His house was gone. Everything from the apple tree to the chimney was gone. But more importantly, Wufei was gone.

Against his will, Duo found his body relaxing. Giving up. There was nothing more to fight for. Time really had moved on without him, leaving no trace of what had once been. Duo mourned the lost happiness, wanting nothing more than to have it back. But reality was starting to sink in. That it might not be for him to decide. The mud on his body felt like it was mummifying him, preserving him for all time. He had been gone for so long and he was going to stay gone. In a way it felt peaceful to have it all end this way. He was free, he was out. There would soon be no more pain, no more hunger, no more fear. He had been set free from it all, free to leave everything behind. To close his eyes and fall asleep for the very last time. To just close his eyes.

Then suddenly he saw _him_ and everything changed. Like a wave crashing against the shore, Duo felt death leave his body.

Wufei was walking pass the rubble, stepping over a fallen beam as he set his steps towards the back yard. Moving carefully through the dark he walked over to the welded bench, sitting down to watch the pile that once had been their dream. It seemed like it was something he had done many times before. A thermos and something rolled up in plastic took its place next to him on the seat.

A midnight stroll with a broken dream as a destination.

Duo had no voice to call out with, no strength to move closer. Dirty, cold and exhausted he could do nothing more then watch with slitted eyes. Wufei sat perfectly still, back straight as he looked over at the broken structure. All that was left of the house was a corner of what used to be their living room wall that was sticking up among the fallen rubble. To the side there were piles of wood, concrete and wires sorted in front of several containers. A controlled chaos lying in between two perfectly ordered houses, rows of bushes the only thing separating them.

He watched Wufei reach for the thermos, unscrewing it to pour himself a cup. With the rim of the mug resting against his chine, he went back to watching what was left of their house.

Duo was filled with such longing that he could not bear it, he had to reach him. There was a flat rock under his palm, one that had left the ground with him. With another great heave of strength, Duo tapped the ring on his finger against it.

The sound was loud in the quiet night, but it took several clinks before Wufei lifted his face from the mug. He still had not turned around and didn't look like he had any plans on doing so.

With a feeling of ridicules happiness, Duo started tapping the song, their song.

The song that played every time Wufei called his phone.

It wasn't in time and sometimes he missed the rock or didn't just do it hard enough. But it was still their song.

Wufei had turned now, looking around the yard with wide eyes. The thermos had tipped over, spilling its dark content.

The grass tickled his face where he laid waiting, the smell of mud strong in his nose. Wufei was beautiful in the moonlight, his shape strong and agile as he got to his feet and took a couple of hesitating steps forward.

Duo took a shaky breath, closing his eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. He could feel the drying mud on his face crack as he worked his mouth. No words made it out, just a whispered sound that might have been a name.

He opened his eyes as the sound of a heartbreaking cry. Wufei was running, sliding trough the mud as he fell to his knees next to him. Hands were moving over his body as if to reassure that he was real. Wufei was crying, screaming, begging him to speak but Duo could do nothing but close his eyes and smile.

He was home again.

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Epilogue

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At the sound of the doorbell, the old man slowly lifted himself out of his armchair. He grumbled angrily as he forced his hurting knees to bend. It was getting late and he hoped that whoever was on the other side wasn't going to stay long. He just wanted to watch the end of his game show and go to bed.

With his cane in hand he carefully made his way over to the front door, making sure to be careful when he stepped over the doorsteps. One could never be too careful at his age.

Unlocking the door but leaving the chain on, the old man opened the front door. His eyes landed on a long haired man who was standing casually on his porch with a large backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Mr Tornswell?" The younger man asked politely.

The old man adjusted his glasses, trying to get a better look at him. "Yes?"

The pleasant look on the man's face instantly started to melt, turning into one of sadistic happiness. "Evelyn says hi." The long haired man whispered with a terrifying grin.

The old man's blood froze to ice as the past returned.

The younger man smiled wildly. "She can't wait for you to join her."

A bolt cutter suddenly appeared before him, snapping the chain easily. Another, darker man roughly pushed the door open, shoving the older man further into his home. The long haired man laughed, sounding like death himself. "Not so fun to be the weaker one, is it?" He teased, letting the backpack fall to the floor with a faint metallic noise. The sound of the door closing behind them echoed through the old man and he knew that this was the end.

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The End

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End file.
